HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 185 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 9, 2008 Encouraging the school divisions of the Commonwealth to consider forming planning committees to establish academic-year Governor's Schools in math, science, and technology. ---------- Patron-- Saxman ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

WHEREAS, Virginia Governor's Schools provide some of the state's most able students academically and artistically challenging programs beyond those offered in their home schools; and

WHEREAS, with the support of the Board of Education and the General Assembly, the Governor's Schools presently include summer residential, summer regional, and academic-year programs serving more than 7,500 gifted students from all parts of the state; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education must approve proposals for new or expanding Governor's Schools and the "Procedures for Initiating Academic-Year Governor's Schools" directs the actions of regional planning groups; and

WHEREAS, developing and implementing the program and administrative arrangements for an Academic-Year Governor's School involves extensive planning and discussions and is recommended to take place over the course of six to 12 months; and

WHEREAS, the first step of a planning committee is to design a Governor's School program, which is beyond the scope and sequence of the regular schools' program for gifted students, and shall determine the initial location and fiscal agent; and

WHEREAS, Academic-Year Governor's Schools are established as "joint schools" and are typically managed by a regional governing board of representatives from the school boards of each participating division; and

WHEREAS, the Joint Subcommittee to Study Science, Math, and Technology Education in the Commonwealth at the Elementary, Secondary, and Undergraduate Levels (HJR 25, 2006) had the opportunity to visit Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, recently ranked the number one high school in the nation by US News and World Report, and included time to engage in a question and answer panel with current students; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee agreed that Thomas Jefferson is a pioneer and any efforts by other local school divisions in the state to reproduce such a model should be encouraged; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee made final recommendations at the final meeting of the 2007 interim, including recommendations to encourage local school divisions to consider forming planning committees to establish Governor's Schools in math, science and technology, pursuant to its charge in its enabling resolution to review and recommend innovative ways to interest students in math, science and technology; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the school divisions of the Commonwealth be encouraged to consider forming planning committees to establish academic year Governor's Schools in math, science, and technology; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Virginia, requesting that the Superintendent further disseminate copies of this resolution to all local school boards so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.